Fort Lauderdale airport’s terminal 3 isn’t my favorite experience. There’s no airport lounge and the best food option I’ve found is the Chili’s. Nonetheless, there are those that would call is paradise. That’s the excuse given for plenty of third world facilities in the Caribbean. Several hotels were sold out nearby the other night, and I wound up at the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Airport & Cruise Port Hotel. It was perfectly functional, though the decor doesn’t necessarily fit South Florida. I thought the hotel’s essence was captured perfectly the next morning. There was crashing down rain, pouring heavily, and parking is a decent walk from the front of the hotel (the lot was mostly full, so I was parked at the far end of the lot). I asked ‘Guest Services’ if it was possible to…
Hints About American’s 787, the Benefits of the New $950 Merrill Lynch Card, and Six Month Expiry Miles!
News and notes from around the interweb: Frontier Airlines miles will expire after just six months instead of the customary 18 months starting in March. They’re inching closer and closer to Spirit Air (their private equity ownership and their President come over with Spirit backgrounds). Hints about the first routes for American’s 787. The @USAirways Twitter account will close at the end of the month. One more step towards integration with American. JetBlue now offers Coursera course content through its inflight entertainment. I rarely use an airline’s entertainment system, I work instead but if I’m going to watch something it will be on my laptop. But if I were going to use there content, this is exactly what I’d want. The $950 annual fee Merrill Lynch Octave card. Way too high a price point for…
Where to Find the Biggest Savings and Best Treatment for Luxury Hotel Stays (It’s Usually Not Where You’d Think)
We’re trained to believe hotel best rate guarantees – that you really do get the best deals on a hotel’s website. That’s mostly true for US hotels compared to the major online travel agencies, but those guarantees are riddled with holes and are only for like-to-like offerings… they don’t match many kinds of bundled offerings or deals that require memberships. When we step beyond booking direct, we might think about the standard Virtuoso, American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts, Visa Signature Hotels or World MasterCard offerings — things like an upgrade if available, late checkout, perhaps breakfast and a food and beverage credit. Hotels that do participate with these higher-end booking channels will often provide a similar price, just with those amenities thrown on top. What we can miss is that – especially for the…
A 70 Year Old United Flight Attendant Rebels Against the Airline’s Uniforms in an Anonymous – and Graphic – Viral E-Mail. You Have to See What She Says…
The following e-mail has been circulating broadly. I cannot directly vouch for its authenticity, though it came to me from someone inside the industry. Considering that this is plausible regardless of the source, what does it say about labor relations, employee attitudes, and the changing nature of the profession at US airlines? As for the specifics of the claims, do you buy that flight attendants are being asked to do more with fewer tools — considering fewer meals served and cashless cabins? THE NEW “UNITED/UCO” UNIFORMS. Written by a United Flight Attendant/Anonymous During her fitting appointment for the new uniform, a friend of mine, an attractive, sophisticated, slim woman in her sixties, asked to have her new uniform skirt long enough to cover her knees. She was told that, in an effort to prevent the…
This Was The Selfie That Caused a Plane to Crash, and 4000 Free Miles from a Disappearing Program
News and notes from around the interweb: It’s your word against theirs, and ‘law enforcement’ never lie: Passenger says he was jailed because a TSA agent falsely claimed he made a bomb threat when all he wanted to do is complain about poor treatment at the checkpoint. Singapore Airlines spends over $5 million a year on business class champagne and serves over 35,000 tins of caviar. Colorado plane crash blamed on pilot taking a selfie. Ritz-Carlton returns to Bali with a just-opened property in Nusa Dua. There’s also a Ritz-Carlton Reserve property coming soon. Eight months ago there were real questions about the future of Thai tourism stemming from the country’s military coup. It seems those questions have been answered: Thailand tourism is up 16% year-over-year. Alitalia is offering 4000 miles for joining. Alitalia’s program,…
Yesterday I Suggested 4 Credit Cards. Here’s What to Do If You Just Want One.
I receive compensation for many links on this blog. You don’t have to use these links, but I am grateful to you if you do. American Express, Citibank, Chase, and other banks are advertising partners of this site. I do not write about all credit cards that are available — instead focusing on miles, points, and cash back (and currencies that can be converted into the same). Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Chase Sapphire Preferred has been — and remains — the best all-around, most rewarding personal credit card for the past four years. If you’re just getting started in the hobby, it’s the card you should get. It plays a key role in the wallets of many of the most experienced miles and points enthusiasts. It has a strong signup bonus, it offers some of…
We Want to Preserve the Things We Don’t Want to Use or Pay For: Hotel Okura Edition
Via Curtis M., Tokyo’s Hotel Okura is slated for demolition. Five decades ago it was a gem of architecture, combining Japanese aesthetic and modernism. It’s across from the US Embassy, so has been a watering hole for ex-pats, State Department employees, and people who merely list their official employer as the State Department. Presidents from Nixon to Obama visited the hotel. So did Harrison Ford, Madonna, and Michael Jackson. And James Bond, in the novel You Only Live Twice. ‘Taking you to your hotel first – the Okura, latest of the Western ones. American tourist got murdered at the Royal Oriental the other day and we don’t want to lose you all that soon. Then we’ll do a bit of serious drinking. Had some dinner?’ The hotel, a Leading Hotels of the World property, will…
Is Delta Threatening Politicians Over $20-$60 Million in Handouts?
An Atlanta television station reports that a Georgia state lawmaker has taken to the floor of their legislative chamber to denounce Delta’s lobbying tactics. The lawmaker is opposing the extension of jet fuel tax breaks that are worth $20 to $60 million per year to Delta — saying that he supported the breaks during the Great Recession when the airline was hurting but that with $3 billion in profits it’s no longer appropriate for them to continue. His claim is that Delta is threatening lawmakers with elimination of air service from their districts if they oppose the tax break. The TV station puts another Delta lobbyist on TV to say that such tactics wouldn’t be appropriate, and Delta denies the claim. Delta took a stand against crony capitalism, opposing re-authorization of the Export-Import Bank when…
All Chinese Airlines Eliminating Fuel Surcharges on Domestic Flights — and What it Means for Your Award Ticket Costs
China’s civil aviation administration announced that fuel surcharges will be eliminated on domestic flights effective February 5. Chinese carriers will this week scrap fuel surcharges for domestic flights for the first time since late 2009 after fuel costs fell below a government-set level. Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and other carriers will abolish the surcharge from February 5, a spokeswoman for the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said. Here’s what fuel surcharges are and how they work. Fuel surcharges aren’t about fuel. They are a convenient, easy way to raise or lower all fares in a market. Since they are a surcharge rather than part of the fare, they aren’t subject to percentage discounts that may attach to certain contracts. They conveniently are an excuse to charge more for award passengers…
United’s Award Pricing Mistake Continues: It’s Now An Official Sale Through February 28!
Two months ago I wrote about United’s unpublished business class partner award discount. United had been charging less for partner awards than their award chart says they should, charging as though you were flying on United. Since the Great Devaluation United has charged substantially more miles to fly business and first class on partner airlines rather than on United itself. Then last week the pricing glitch inexplicably came back. The first time it wasn’t an ‘announced sale’ — United fixed the glitch. But the glitch came back. United’s ‘bad penny’ IT started discounting partner awards again, and the fix must be challenging because a few days after they started underpricing award tickets they announced it as an official sale to run through February 28.
